He's got the look
There's a man who reduces me to tears with the way he looks at other women.
I call him Steve and I happily admit that I'd like him to be my movie dad as much as I want him to be my boyfriend/husband/luvah. It's the way he looks at his leading ladies that nearly kills me. Sad, sentimental, heartbreakingly warm - he is very good.
No idea what I'm going on about? Think about the way he eyeballed Clare Danes in Shopgirl, even when he was breaking her poor young heart... or there's his "my-little-girl-is-all-grown-up" face in Father of the Bride... or, ooh - how about the exchanges between him and John Candy's character "Del Griffith" in Planes, Trains and Automobiles? Remember him in Roxanne? And don't even get me started on The Jerk...
I bring this up because I just caught the last ten minutes of Cheaper By the Dozen on the tee vee. Now, before you judge me I am aware that not all of Steve's films are ...well, good. That's not the point. Anyway, the last ten minutes were chock-full of misty-eyed reflections, a monologue about the value of family and a nice twist that had Steve using "the look" on an old photograph of his wife. And true to form, here I sit blowing my nose, desperately to one day to catch someone casting the look" my way.
I cannot accept that "the look" is an acting technique. That would make Steve insincere and I'll not hear a word. NOT A WORD.
I call him Steve and I happily admit that I'd like him to be my movie dad as much as I want him to be my boyfriend/husband/luvah. It's the way he looks at his leading ladies that nearly kills me. Sad, sentimental, heartbreakingly warm - he is very good.
No idea what I'm going on about? Think about the way he eyeballed Clare Danes in Shopgirl, even when he was breaking her poor young heart... or there's his "my-little-girl-is-all-grown-up" face in Father of the Bride... or, ooh - how about the exchanges between him and John Candy's character "Del Griffith" in Planes, Trains and Automobiles? Remember him in Roxanne? And don't even get me started on The Jerk...
I bring this up because I just caught the last ten minutes of Cheaper By the Dozen on the tee vee. Now, before you judge me I am aware that not all of Steve's films are ...well, good. That's not the point. Anyway, the last ten minutes were chock-full of misty-eyed reflections, a monologue about the value of family and a nice twist that had Steve using "the look" on an old photograph of his wife. And true to form, here I sit blowing my nose, desperately to one day to catch someone casting the look" my way.
I cannot accept that "the look" is an acting technique. That would make Steve insincere and I'll not hear a word. NOT A WORD.
posted by ... at 6:51 PM
3 Comments:
I watched some of that Cheeper by the Dozen too. I was surprised that high school kids picked on the older son , the kid from Smallville.
Don't forget Parenthood. And Grand Canyon. But the Father of the Bride Steve Martin is my favourite sad Steve Martin. Too bad the movie sucks.
The Absent-Minded Waiter (a short film he did in the 70's) was a staff fave way-way back in the mid 80's @ Startime. And don't forget his role in The Muppet Movie! I got very lucky and worked on a production of his play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile about twelve years ago. I may not share your lustfull heart-breaking yearnings, but I'll admit that that I love Uncle Steve too...
In a Manly, fan of his craft type way...
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